Hello! Project Wiki/News/2017
December 31, 2017 - Suzuki Airi announces the start of solo activities :On December 31, former ℃-ute member Suzuki Airi participated in the Hello! Project 20th Anniversary!! Hello! Project COUNTDOWN PARTY 2017 ~GOOD BYE & HELLO!~ concert, where she performed an original song titled "Mikansei Girl" and announced that she would begin activities as a soloist under . :She is currently working on her debut album, and has two solo lives planned for March and April 2018. :In addition to the announcement, she has opened a Twitter account under the "airimania" handle, and opened an official website. ---- ;December 31, 2017 - Aikawa Maho graduates from ANGERME and Hello! Project :On December 31, an announcement was posted to the Hello! Project website stating that Aikawa Maho had decided to graduate from both ANGERME and Hello! Project due to her panic disorder, which she had been on hiatus treating for the past eleven months. :While her condition had been improving, and she was able to enroll and attend classes at her university, she decided to graduate out of fear that she would relapse and have a panic attack while performing, and that she would be a burden to the other members. :On January 11, it was announced that Aikawa would be halting her activities to seek treatment for panic disorder. She had been diagnosed with the condition after having reported various symptoms to her doctor, which at the time prevented her from performing in the Hello! Project 2017 WINTER concert tour. In a country where mental illness remains a taboo topic, Aikawa noted that she hoped to help fight the stigma against panic disorder alongside others with the condition. :Throughout her hiatus, members and fans continued to show their support, and it's widely believed that "Namida Iro no Ketsui" from ANGERME's 23rd single was written as a message of support. :Aikawa Maho had been a member of Hello! Project for three years, having originally joined as a Hello! Pro Kenshuusei in May 2014 alongside Takemura Miu and Saito Kana. After training for a mere five months, she was promoted to S/mileage in October 2014 alongside Murota Mizuki and Sasaki Rikako as the third generation. :Source: Hello! Project ---- ;December 30, 2017 - Tsubaki Factory win the Best Newcomer Award at the 59th Japan Record Awards :At the 59th Japan Record Awards on December 30, which was live broadcasted by TBS, Tsubaki Factory received a Newcomer Award and performed "Shuukatsu Sensation". They were nominated for the grand prize against three other Newcomer Award winners. In the end, Tsubaki Factory were named the winners of the Best Newcomer Award. :Leader Yamagishi Riko accepted the award and said: "Although it took some time for us to make our major debut, you can only win the Best Newcomer Award once in a lifetime, so I'm very happy." Sub-leader Ogata Risa also commented: "This moment is like we're in a dream. We have been working our hardest for three years and because winning a newcomer award became our dream, I'm happy the nine of us could make it come true." The members' comments and tears of happiness noticeably moved announcer Shinichiro Azumi to tears. :Tsubaki Factory was formed as six members in April 2015, three months after their "rivals" Kobushi Factory, who had won the Best Newcomer Award at the 57th Japan Record Awards. In February of this year, they made their major debut as nine members. In November, Tsubaki Factory also received a Newcomer Award at the 50th Japan Cable Awards. :Source: Oricon ---- ;December 11, 2017 - Kudo Haruka graduates from Morning Musume ’17 and Hello! Project :On December 11, 10th generation member Kudo Haruka graduated from Morning Musume ’17 and Hello! Project in the Morning Musume Tanjou 20 Shuunen Kinen Concert Tour 2017 Aki ~We are MORNING MUSUME~ Kudo Haruka Sotsugyou Special at Nippon Budokan. :After graduating from being an idol, she will follow her new dream of becoming an actress, and has also joined M-line club. :Kudo first joined Hello! Project in March 2010 as a Hello Pro Egg member. In 2011, she participated in the Morning Musume 10ki Member "Genki Jirushi" Audition and successfully joined Morning Musume on September 29, 2011. During her time in the group, she was known for her "ikemen" (good-looking guy) character and husky voice. :Source: Oricon, BARKS ---- ;December 6, 2017 - Taguchi Natsumi's contract terminated :On December 6, an announcement was posted to the Hello! Project website, stating that had decided to terminate their contract with Taguchi Natsumi due to her lack of "self-consciousness" and "responsibility", and as a result, she has been fired from Kobushi Factory and Hello! Project. :The announcement comes just five months after the termination of Fujii Rio's contract on July 6, and three months after the sudden departure of Ogawa Rena on September 6. :At the time of Taguchi's termination, Kobushi Factory had just concluded their fall live tour on December 3, and Taguchi was scheduled to participate in the upcoming Kobushi Factory bus tour on December 9 and 10, and Christmas fanclub event on December 16, for which UP-FRONT PROMOTION is accepting refunds. :Taguchi Natsumi had been a member of Hello! Project for nearly seven years, having originally joined as a Hello Pro Egg in February 2011 alongside Yoshihashi Kurumi and Hamaura Ayano. After training for nearly four years, she went on to form Kobushi Factory alongside seven other members in January 2015. :Source: Hello! Project, UP-FRONT LINK ---- ;December 4, 2017 - Hello! Project Shin Member Audition results announced (UPDATED) :On December 4, the 6th and 7th episodes of Shoujotachi no Ketsudan ~Mitchaku!! Hello! Project 20 Shuunen Audition~ aired, where it was announced by 's representative director that no one had passed the Hello! Project Shin Member Audition, and the eight finalists were instead invited to join Hello Pro Kenshuusei to receive more lessons. :Confirmed to be joining Hello Pro Kenshuusei are Shutto Anna, Kubota Nanami, Kanemitsu Ruru and Matsubara Yuriya, with Hashimoto Momoko, Goto Sayaka and Tamenaga Shion still undecided, and Kodama Mai declining her invitation. :The finalists who accepted their invitations will be introduced and perform in the Hello! Project Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2017 12gatsu ~Conti→New!~ show on December 10. :December 11 UPDATE: It was announced on Hello! Project's website that Hashimoto Momoko, Goto Sayaka and Tamenaga Shion accepted to join Hello Pro Kenshuusei and were also introduced in the Hello! Project Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2017 12gatsu ~Conti→New!~ show. :Source: Episode #6 on AbemaTV, Episode #7 on AbemaTV, Hello! Project ---- ;October 31, 2017 - Hello! Project Shin Member Audition will be broadcast on AbemaTV :On October 31, an AbemaTV program following the Hello! Project Shin Member Audition, titled Shoujotachi no Ketsudan ~Mitchaku!! Hello! Project 20 Shuunen Audition~, was announced to begin broadcasting on November 13. :To make the audition memorable, the program will show full close coverage of the audition for the first time since 2011. In addition, various past and current Hello! Project members will watch and comment on the audition process from a studio. Unreleased footage and stories from the audition will also be uploaded onto AbemaVideo. :Source: Official Announcement, Shoujotachi no Ketsudan ~Mitchaku!! Hello! Project 20 Shuunen Audition~ AbemaTV Channel ---- ;October 18, 2017 - Former Berryz Koubou member Sugaya Risako announces marriage and pregnancy :On October 18, UP-FRONT PROMOTION announced that Sugaya Risako is marrying a man of an ordinary background and is due to give birth to her first child in the spring. She would therefore go on maternity leave, and her future activities would be decided once she settles down after giving birth and begins child-rearing. :Sugaya further revealed in an interview with Josei Jishin that she is currently five months pregnant and she started dating her partner earlier this year, after being introduced to him by a friend at a dinner party. :Source: UP-FRONT PROMOTION, Josei Jishin ---- ;September 8, 2017 - Former Country Girls member Inaba Manaka to resume activities :On September 8, it was announced through the Hello! Project website that Inaba Manaka would be resuming activities within Hello! Project. :According to the official statements given by herself and management, Inaba's asthma has been stabilized since spring, and she eagerly held talks with UP-FRONT PROMOTION about resuming activities. The official statements went on to say that she would be joining Hello Pro Kenshuusei Hokkaido as the leader, and that she will also be pursuing independent activities in Sapporo, with the first event to mark her "new start" being the Hello Pro Kenshuusei Hokkaido Teiki Kouen Vol.4 held on September 18, 2017. :In addition to the announcement, she has been added to Hello! Project's artist page as a soloist, and has also started her own blog which can be found here. :Inaba Manaka was previously a member of the Country Musume reboot group Country Girls, which she joined on November 5, 2014. She graduated from the group on August 4, 2016 after having been on hiatus since April 28 of that year due to asthma. :Source: Hello! Project, UP-FRONT LINK ---- ;September 6, 2017 - Kobushi Factory's Ogawa Rena has decided to graduate :September 6, an official notice was posted to the Hello! Project website, stating that Ogawa Rena had decided to graduate from both Kobushi Factory and Hello! Project due to her ongoing health struggles. :Earlier on July 13, it was announced that Ogawa had been diagnosed with anxiety neurosis, and therefore wouldn't be able to participate in the group's activities at least until mid-August while she received treatment, however on August 16, it was further announced that her condition hadn't shown any signs of improvement, and her physical state had become "unstable". :While the official statement released by UP-FRONT PROMOTION explained that she decided to graduate following talks with her doctor, in a blog posted the same day Ogawa further explained that during her hiatus she had thought about her life and realized she wanted to set out on new dreams. She expressed gratitude towards the fans and members of Kobushi Factory, and regret in the way she graduated. She asks the fans of Kobushi Factory - the "Kobushi-gumi" - to accept her as a fellow fan and remember her as Kobushi Factory's airhead. :Ogawa joined Hello! Project in June 2011 as a Hello Pro Egg member, alongside Otsuka Aina and Mogi Minami. After training for nearly four years, Ogawa went on to form Kobushi Factory in January 2015 alongside 7 other Hello Pro Kenshuusei. Source: Hello! Project, UP-FRONT LINK ---- ;July 25, 2017 - Juice=Juice's Miyamoto Karin to recover from functional dysphonia (UPDATED) :On July 21, Miyamoto Karin was initially diagnosed with inflammation of her vocal cords and could only dance in the Juice=Juice LIVE AROUND 2017 ~Seven Horizon~ concert that evening and the Hello! Project 2017 SUMMER concert the next day. :When Miyamoto went back to the doctor on July 25, she was diagnosed with functional dysphonia. Even when only dancing and mimicking her solo parts during the weekend concerts, she had difficulty breathing. In order to recover, all work that requires her voice, such as lives and events, will be canceled until further notice. :August 28 UPDATE: An update was delivered stating that Miyamoto would return to the Juice=Juice LIVE AROUND 2017 ~Seven Horizon~ tour on August 31 and was also scheduled to appear in the last Hello! Project 2017 SUMMER concert and in the upcoming Juice=Juice LIVE AROUND 2017 ~World Tour~. :Source: Hello! Project, UP-FRONT LINK, Hello! Project (Update) ---- ;July 13, 2017 - Kobushi Factory's Ogawa Rena hiatus :On July 13, it was announced that Kobushi Factory member Ogawa Rena had been diagnosed with anxiety neurosis, and therefore won't be able to participate in the group's activities at least until mid-August. This includes most of the Hello! Project 2017 SUMMER concert tour that begins on July 15 and the stage greeting for the theatrical release of the JK Ninja Girls movie on July 17. :Source: Hello! Project ---- ;July 12, 2017 - Update on ANGERME's Aikawa Maho hiatus :It was announced on July 12, 2017 that Aikawa Maho, who had been diagnosed with panic disorder on January 11, 2017 and ever since has been absent from ANGERME's activities, will continue resting until the end of ANGERME 2017 fall tour. :Although the doctor diagnosed that Aikawa is able to spend her daily life without any trouble, she still needs to be careful about straining herself under times of pressure. :Source: Hello! Project ---- ;July 6, 2017 - Fujii Rio's contract terminated :On July 6, it was announced on the Hello! Project website that UP-FRONT PROMOTION has decided to terminate their contract with Fujii Rio after discovering she was breaking their contract guidelines and continued to do so when given another chance, and as a result she has been fired from both Kobushi Factory and Hello! Project. :She previously planned to graduate from the group and Hello! Project voluntarily on September 2, 2017 at the Hello! Project 2017 SUMMER finale to focus on her college education. Source: Hello! Project ---- ;June 30, 2017 - Tsugunaga Momoko retires from entertainment :After 15 years as an idol, former Berryz Koubou member and Country Girls playing manager Tsugunaga Momoko graduated from Hello! Project on June 30. :8,000 fans gathered for the Tsugunaga Momoko Last Live ♥Arigatou Otomomochi♥ at an outdoor venue in Odaiba. During the concert, Tsugunaga brought back her famous "Momochi-musubi" twintails, and the five younger members of Country Girls also appeared to perform alongside her and give their farewells. :While Tsugunaga has left behind the record for the longest tenure in Hello! Project at 5479 days, she has decided to retire from entertainment to continue her dream of becoming an early education teacher, which she had already graduated from university for in 2014. As she is also the last member of Hello! Project Kids to leave, and on the same day as their 15th anniversary, many fans feel that a chapter in Hello! Project's history has finally been closed. :Source: Oricon ---- ;June 25, 2017 - Reorganization of Hello! Project 2017 (UPDATED) :On June 25, Hello! Project Station staff provided fans with a teaser trailer for an "extra edition" of Hello! Project Station that would uploaded on Monday, June 26 at 21:00. (It is not a regular weekly Hello! Project Station episode, which is uploaded on Wednesdays.) :It is a special episode about their plans for Hello! Project's 20th anniversary and unveiled their new system for Hello! Project, starting with the transfers of three Country Girls members and the debuts of three Hello Pro Kenshuusei members. :June 26 UPDATE: In the video, it was announced that Danbara Ruru and Yanagawa Nanami have joined Juice=Juice, Morito Chisaki has joined Morning Musume '17, Funaki Musubu and Kawamura Ayano have joined ANGERME, and Ichioka Reina has become the leader of a new group. They will begin activities with their new groups in the Hello! Project 2017 SUMMER concert tour, and members of Ichioka's new group will be announced at a later time. :Source: Hello! Project Station (Trailer), Hello! Project Station, Hello! Project ---- ;June 12, 2017 - ℃-ute have disbanded after 12 years :On June 12, a day after their 12th anniversary, ℃-ute held the ℃-ute Last Concert in Saitama Super Arena ~Thank you team℃-ute~. The five members Yajima Maimi, Nakajima Saki, Suzuki Airi, Okai Chisato, and Hagiwara Mai performed a total of 36 songs. Saitama Super Arena was filled with 20,000 fans, including former members Umeda Erika, Murakami Megumi, and Arihara Kanna. Another 10,000 watched the concert from live theater viewings nationwide and internationally. :Former Hello! Project leaders Nakazawa Yuko and Michishige Sayumi and current Hello! Project leader Wada Ayaka made a surprise appearance halfway through the concert to offer their congratulations to the group. Also, after delivering their last messages to the fans in the encore, ℃-ute sang "To Tomorrow", at the end of which 47 members of Hello! Project came on stage as a send-off. :℃-ute returned for a double encore and when they left the stage, a digital clock reading the date and "9:10 PM" was displayed, marking the time they officially disbanded. :Source: BARKS, natalie ---- ;June 9, 2017 - Future activities of Country Girls :On June 9, it was announced that after Tsugunaga Momoko's graduation from the group, Country Girls will mainly have their activities during school holidays and long vacations. The group will keep on performing at Hello! Project concerts and releasing new songs, however, they will probably be only released digitally. :Simultaneously with their Country Girls activities, Morito Chisaki, Yanagawa Nanami and Funaki Musubu will move to another Hello! Project group, while Yamaki Risa and Ozeki Mai are going to focus on their studies. :Source: Hello! Project, UP-FRONT LINK ---- ;May 27, 2017 - Future plans for each ℃-ute member have been announced :On May 27, each ℃-ute member announced on their blog what their future plans are after the group disbands and they all leave Hello! Project. :Yajima Maimi will join M-line club and wants to try out various activities including acting. Nakajima Saki wants to become an actress and also continue working in satoyama-related activities and PR. Suzuki Airi will become a solo singer, which she will start next spring. Okai Chisato wants to focus on appearing on variety TV shows. Hagiwara Mai will retire from showbiz and study English overseas. :Source: ℃-ute Blog (Yajima Entry), ℃-ute Blog (Nakajima Entry), ℃-ute Blog (Suzuki Entry), ℃-ute Blog (Okai Entry), ℃-ute Blog (Hagiwara Entry) ---- ;May 22, 2017 - Buono! have disbanded :On May 22, 15,000 fans gathered at Yokohama Arena for Buono!'s last concert Buono! Live 2017 ~Pienezza!~. :Suzuki Airi will be leaving Hello! Project when ℃-ute disbands on June 12, leader Tsugunaga Momoko will also be graduating and retiring from the entertainment industry on June 30 to become a school teacher, and Natsuyaki Miyabi formed a new group, PINK CRES., last April. As a result, Buono! has effectively disbanded. :Source: BARKS ---- ;May 12, 2017 - Fujii Rio to graduate from Kobushi Factory and Hello! Project :On May 12, it was announced that Fujii Rio will be graduating from Kobushi Factory and Hello! Project at the end of the Hello! Project 2017 SUMMER concert tour. :Fujii, who is currently in her first year of university, has decided she wants to continue her old dream of becoming a teacher or nurse. In order to focus on her studies, she has decided to graduate at the end of summer vacation and the start of the new school semester. :Source: Hello! Project, UP-FRONT LINK ---- ;May 5, 2017 - New Hello Pro Kenshuusei section, leader, and debuts announced at the spring test :On May 5, during the Hello! Project Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2017 ~Haru no Koukai Jitsuryoku Shindan Test~, representative director made a surprise appearance on stage and made several announcements. :Nishiguchi first announced that Takase Kurumi and Kiyono Momohime have been selected to be debut in a new theater section, different from Engeki Joshibu. :The second announcement was that Inoue Hikaru has been appointed as the new leader of Hello Pro Kenshuusei. :Lastly, Ichioka Reina, Danbara Ruru, and Kawamura Ayano will debut as Hello! Project members in the near future. It will first depend on a sit down discussion with their parents to decide if they want to form a new unit or join an existing one. :More details on the five members' debuts will be revealed at a later date. :Source: Hello! Project, Kumai Yurina Blog, Hirose Ayaka Blog ---- ;April 29, 2017 - Kudo Haruka to graduate from Morning Musume '17 and Hello! Project :On April 29, during the daytime show of Morning Musume '17 Concert Tour Haru ~THE INSPIRATION!~, 10th generation member Kudo Haruka made a sudden announcement that she will be graduating from Morning Musume '17 and Hello! Project at the end of their fall 2017 tour. :Kudo first joined Hello! Project as a Hello Pro Egg in March 2010 and joined Morning Musume in September 2011. During these seven years, she has had the opportunity to star in several Gekiharo and Engeki Joshibu theatrical productions and found it enjoyable. Now after fulfilling her dream of joining Morning Musume, she wants to devote herself to acting. :Source: Hello! Project, UP-FRONT LINK ---- ;January 11, 2017 - ANGERME's Aikawa Maho takes a break from activities (UPDATED) :On January 11, an UP-FRONT PROMOTION representative announced that Aikawa Maho would halt her activities from ANGERME for a while in order to rest and receive treatment for panic disorder. She had reported headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathing difficulties and panic attacks which led to her being unable to participate in Hello! Project 2017 WINTER concerts, and her subsequent diagnosis. :March 3 UPDATE: An update was released, stating that Aikawa would continue to be absent for all ANGERME concerts, as well as the Hello! Project Hina Fest 2017, from March to mid-May. :Source: UP-FRONT LINK, Hello! Project (Update) ---- ;January 6, 2017 - Morning Musume's Sato Masaki takes a break from activities (UPDATED) :After missing Hello! Project COUNTDOWN PARTY 2016 and the beginning of the Hello! Project 2017 WINTER tour due to her back injury; it was announced on January 6 that Sato Masaki would take break from activities until late February 2017. :February 24 UPDATE: It was announced that Sato would be returning from hiatus on March 18, on the opening day of Morning Musume '17's spring concert tour. :Due to being in recovery during the production period, Sato was not featured in the A-sides of Morning Musume '17's 63rd single, "BRAND NEW MORNING / Jealousy Jealousy". :Source: UP-FRONT LINK, UP-FRONT LINK (Update) ---- Category:2017